London’s Chelsea will head northeast this weekend as they take on Hull City in a big English Premier League game at the KC Stadium on Saturday, October 1st. Hull has been having problems with red cards this season and were hammered 5-1 at Anfield by Liverpool last weekend. Meanwhile, Chelsea was embarrassed 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium by Arsenal in a huge London derby.
Hull City vs Chelsea – Pinnacle Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Chelsea as the favorites to win the game at -186 with Hull City +584 and a draw at +387
Hull City vs Chelsea – Head to Head:
- These two clubs last met back in the 2014/14 season with Chelsea winning 3-2 on the road and 2-0 at home at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea is unbeaten in the last 12 meetings. Hull’s last win was 3-0 at home in October of 1988 in League Two action. It’s their only victory in the past 31 meetings. Overall, these two sides have met just 44 times in the past with Chelsea winning 30, losing four and drawing the other 10.
Hull City – A Closer Look:
Newly promoted Hull City enters the weekend in 14th place in the 20-team league with seven points from a pair of wins, a draw and three defeats. They’ve scored seven goals and allowed 12 against. Hull has encountered disciplinary problems lately with a player being sent off in big losses against Liverpool (5-1) and Arsenal (4-1). Hull sits four points above the relegation zone and will be desperate to keep their heads above water this season. In three home games, they’ve beaten reigning Premier League champions Leicester City and have dropped decisions to Arsenal and Manchester United.
They’ve managed to beat Swansea 2-0 on the road and draw 1-1 with newly-promoted Burnley and also knocked Stoke City out of the English League Cup. Hull is struggling with some injury problems as midfielder Brian Lenihan is out for a few more weeks and defenders Alex Bruce, Michael Dawson and Moses Odubajoare all out with long-term injuries. In addition, goaltender Allan McGregor isn’t expected back until January of 2017.
Chelsea – A Closer Look:
Chelsea started the season off like a house on fire with three consecutive victories, but have fallen off the track since then. They looked bad in a 2-1 home loss to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge a couple of weeks ago and looked even worse in their 3-0 defeat at Arsenal last Sunday. The London club also dropped a pair of points in a 2-2 away draw with Swansea City in Wales. The Blues enter this weekend in eighth place in the league and are eight points back of league-leading Manchester City.
Chelsea has 10 points from three wins, a draw and two losses with 10 goals scored and nine allowed. They’ve also knocked Leicester City out of the English League Cup with a 4-2 extra time win over the reigning Premier League champions. New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is hoping team captain and top defender John Terry is healthy enough to play on Saturday while fellow defender Kurt Zouma is back in training, but his status is still up in the air.
Hull City vs Chelsea – Takeaway:
Chelsea can’t afford to drop more points if they hope to challenge for the title and a top-four spot. Hull is just hoping to survive the season above the relegation zone.
by Ian S. Palmer